ASSESSING RURAL TOURISM EFFORTS IN THE UNITED-STATES

This study reports on a survey of state-sponsored rural tourism progra ms contacted by phone in 1991. Analysis reveals that 30 states had tou rism programs specifically targeted for rural areas; 14 states include d rural areas as part of their overall tourism packages; and only 6 st ates had no specific rural component to their state programs. Using th is program data and various contextual factors, a series of multivaria te discriminant analyses were conducted. These results identify charac teristics of states with multiple rural tourism programs. Possible imp lications of these findings for rural development research are discuss ed.